Untitled 1967

Curator: Here we have an Untitled work by Ibrahim El-Salahi from 1967. It’s a mixed media piece on board, roughly 45 by 75 centimeters, currently held at the Tate Modern. Editor: My first impression is... spectral. It’s like looking at the faded echoes of ancient forms, a kind of haunting palimpsest. Curator: The imagery certainly draws on a well of cultural memory. You see the distinct influence of Sudanese calligraphy, mixed with more universal symbols—the eye, the moon. El-Salahi blends these, creating a bridge between the local and the global. Editor: I love how he builds up those layers of texture. It feels unearthed, like something discovered from deep within the earth. Curator: Absolutely. He's evoking the weight of history, the accumulation of stories. Those recurring motifs, like the crescent shape, might reference Islamic symbolism, but they also speak to broader themes of rebirth and cyclical time. Editor: It’s almost as if he’s inviting us to participate in the act of remembering, of piecing together fragments to form a coherent narrative. Curator: Indeed. It is a potent reminder that the past is always present, shaping our understanding of the world. Editor: Yes, and maybe that's why it feels so resonant—like a whisper from the collective unconscious.